Adaptable

Adaptive reuse refers to reusing an old building or site for a purpose other than what it was originally intended. For someone who has gone on record saying that he doesn’t like sprawl, strip malls, or the generica that has plagued our cities, I believe we must reuse old buildings for new purposes to avoid more lackluster developments.

With vacant or dilapidated buildings it’s easy to get into the mindset of wanting or thinking you need to tear down those that don’t fit into your master plan. That’s not really possible or affordable in most circumstances. Sometimes you are even surprised what may become of places that we once thought should be bulldozed.

Here is a good example of turning a negative into a positive. An old gas station has been converted into a photography studio – and a damn good looking one too! It’s one thing to just inhabit another building, but it’s another to embellish it and take it to the next level with refined touches. It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that a creative person has done something creative with a building… but nice to see nonetheless.

Next time you pass by take a good look. I bet you won’t think of it the same way!